Disclaimer: This is a Mothers day disclaimer (so be warned!)
Author +rips away pretty flower petals of poor innocent daisies: I own them…I own them not…I own them…I own them not...I…YEAH!...OWN THEM! I OWN THEM! And don't you dare to question what a brave little daisy let its life for! How could you.
+gets hit repeatedly with a huge posy (Ouch!)+
OK, OK…I don't own them…live with it!
Chapter eight: Never in his live
Unknowingly his orbs had brought him back to the shelter. Chris collapsed in the alley right behind it, knocking over some old dirty dustbins.
For a moment that felt like eternity to him, he simply lay there. Not aware of the dirt and the awful stench around him, Chris remained lying on the ground and looked into the small part of the sky he could see between the close set houses. He had no strength left. Not to keep on struggling with his family, not to carry on the fight to fulfil his mission - not even the strength to stand up.
He simply remained laying down there, while trying to stop his vision from spinning around.
Leo was right…Leo was right…Leo was right…´ the thought began to spin in his mind according to the vision of his surroundings… but LEO WAS NOT RIGHT!´ Chris tried enraged to stop himself.
His upcoming anger gave him at least the power to get up into a sitting position.
As he eyed his wounds carefully, a big wave of nausea overcame the boy instantly.
His whole left side was covered with nasty burns and cuts, where the full impact of the shapeshifters explosion, had hit him.
Chris sat there in the dirt without the slightest glance what to do.
This time fate made the final decision…
Carry and Max came running around the corner. They were on their way home, as the noise had alarmed them.
Carry took in a sharp breath by the sight of Chris.
"Is this the way you look, when you have a talk with your family?" She asked, while Max helped Chris carefully up.
"No reason for you to worry!" Chris said, while trying to get away.
"Stop kid! We will take you to a hospital - now!" Max growled grabbing Chris shoulder. He regretted it instantly as the boy let out a painful gasp.
"No hospital, please! I'll be fine!"
Carry looked worried at the injured boy. She felt that Max was right. These injuries needed urgently medical treatment. But she felt although that the stubborn boy would never change his mind that easy. Maybe they had a chance to convince him. If they gave in his wishes, it would be at least someone there to look after him. She dreaded that anyone would have to knock this kid out to get him near a hospital against his will.
"Ok, first come in with us, and then we will see."
…
Chris lay back onto the soft mattress in the dark, empty dormitory. He would sleep a while, have some nice dreams and everything would be better when he awoke. The young whitelighter pulled out the vial under his shirt and was shocked once more. In the middle of the vial was small opened up crack.
It was empty!
The flown out potion was sucked by his shirt. It must have happened as he had dived for the athame, Chris thought.
So much for the sleep.´ There was no way he could handle the breaking-in side effects in his state. But at least he could rest…
His mind began to wander around… he had never felt that bad before, never since he was four.
Suddenly he found himself dragged into a flashback…
… little Chris sat at the first steps of the stairway, gazing with a faraway look into the hallway. He didn't even react, as his mom passed by.
"Something wrong, peanut?" she asked.
"Nothing!" The boy said and managed to put a bright smile on his face.
That really concerned her. Piper knew her youngest son…!
She raised an eyebrow and simply said "Chris!" in a way only mothers can do, and immediately her little son's facade collapsed.
"My had aches mommy, and now…" He broke off his sentence.
"And now you wait for your daddy to come home!" His mum finished for him.
He nodded weary.
"OK, honey, come with me into the kitchen. I'll give you some cold cloth for your head, and then we will try to reach your dad." With that Piper lifted her son up into her arms.
She got frightened by the heat that the little body emissed. "My god, you are burning up!"
"Feels more like freezing. " Chris said with a bashfully little smile.
Instantly Piper put Chris onto the couch and wrapped him into a blanket.
Then she headed back into the kitchen, to get a cold cloth for her sons burning forehead.
"LEO!" Piper called with a glance at the ceiling.
In less then a second blue white orbs filled the kitchen.
"Good that you are here Leo, Chris has a high fever out of nowhere, I think he is seriously sick. He has never ever been sick in his whole life Leo. Not even a cold."
"Oh god", said Leo not thinking over his reaction, "not him too!" Pipers jaw dropped.
"What..What..?" she stammered, while the two stepped hastily into the living room.
Leo carefully examined his now sleeping son. His heeling glow only did little effect on the boy.
"As I thought, he's got most probably the virus!" Leo said.
"What do you mean? What virus? Don't play the inapproachable Doctor. This is our son we are talking about!"
"There is a virus going on." First it only attacked elders, but it mutated quickly and suddenly although whitelighters were affected, it was nasty and protracted, but did no severe harm to the most, we thought it was because…you know… they are already dead…the virus became more and more aggressive by the time… "
Leo was not sure if he should tell Piper the whole truth.
"With Chris as a witch-whitelighter the virus climbs a whole new stage. But we should have a few blood tests to be sure."
Leo's eyes became watery, but he had to stay strong for his family.
"My god Piper. I thought we had enclosed it upthere and… and I thought the boys could not get it anyway because they are half witches. I stayed upthere since I had contact to some infected just in case I could carry it.
Where in all the world should Chris get infected at all?"
"Wyatt, Chris and their secret little adventures. I'd bet they were upthere sometimes, just because it was forbidden to go there alone." Piper told her husband more worried than angry.
"Piper, the sorry as I am, I have to take him with me. We have installed a quarantine unit upthere."
"Only over my dead body!" Piper said determined.
"This is possibly going to happen, if I don't separate you and Christopher. You have to think about Wyatt, Paige and Phoebe, and her baby too.
We have no clue, how the virus could affect witches. Now Chris got infected, it's dangerous for all of you!"
Piper was shocked.
"So please be reasonable. I have to take Chris. They can help him upthere. By god, I will not let my son die!"
Piper's heart broke just by the thought of leaving her little peanut to the elders care.
Even if she knew that it was best for everyone.
"You will stay with him!" She demanded of her husband.
His answer did not contribute to calm her.
"I'll be there as much as I can. But I'm although the head of the healing-research-team. They need my medical knowledge to find a cure."
"You said he could die, but before you didn't mention that it is that bad!" Leo was now honest to his wife; there was no way to extenuate the case. "Yes it is that bad, a lot of whitelighters, like me, have in fact reached immunity to the illness, but to be honest, some even died on the virus. We have more souls that are recycled at the moment then ever."
Piper sat at the couch, holding her son tight in her arms, while whispering comforting words. She gave a damn about the danger. She would keep her youngest.
Leo knew that Piper could never make this decision. How could she give away their baby? There was the chance she would never see him again.
"I'm sorry" Leo whispered, his pent-up tears now flooding his sad blue eyes.
With that, he took his frail little son out of his mother's arms and orbed away.
"Leo, don't you dare!", Piper screamed "Bring him back, You can't do that, you cant…"a sobbing, heartbroken Piper collapsed in front of the couch hitting the cushions helpless.
Piper was so angry, even if she knew that what Leo did was the best for Chris and for her. She had never overbeared a slow tearful farewell from her son, let alone it would have meant a much bigger load for Chris. Leo would take good care of her son, she tried to reassure herself...
…
Chris lay on his bed in the big white room between the other sick. His small body not even filled half of the mattress.
He felt awful. His head throbbed, his breathing was although painful, and worst of all he needed his mommy. Chris called for her, but there was no response.
From time to time an elder or whitelighter came across and healed him as far as possible.
No one had the time to talk much to the anxious little boy. They were nice and smiled, but everyone was busy and not used to take care of a kid uphere.
…
Days went by and the research-team had not found a cure yet. The ones that had survived the illness had reached their immunity out of their own strength.
Chris didn't know, if he had strength anymore.
His dad visited him from time to time, but most of the time he felt so alone. And abandoned. Everyone had explained him, why he could not see his family. But that was adult logic - nothing to pacify a little child.
Chris got worse from day to day and at some point Leo even thought his youngest would die. He sat now the most time beside his bed, holding Chris´ hand and trying to comfort him. Even if the neglect of his other duties gnawed at his conscience, for once in his life he tried to be the best father he could be for his little son.
He thought sadly that Chris had to stand on the confines of death before his father
remembered where his true duties had to be settled.
He prayed intensely that his little boy would not die, and that he found the strength and time to change the things for better.
Suddenly in the evening Chris´ fever increased dramatically and Leo held his son, afraid he would never hold him again. He had lived through a lot in his life: war, death and all kind of destruction you can imagine, but this was the worst thing.
It was simply unbearable to hold his dying son.
Leo healed his son the whole night till his small body didn't respond to his healing powers anymore. Some elders came along to tell Leo the obvious and help him and Chris to get through what they simply called "the last phase". Piper would have blown up all of them for their comment, Leo thought.
But strong little Chris had inherited the strength and stubbornness of his mother:
He survived the crisis.
Leo took his youngest gently in his arms, as his son opened his eyes again.
For the first time tears ran freely over the fathers face. It were tears of relief that washed away all the worries of the past weeks.
Chris smiled at the sight of his father.
"I'm going to be fine daddy" he whispered and a small shaking hand wiped away the tears of the sobbing but yet smiling man.
Leo never told Piper how bad the state of her baby was at sometime. He feared her reaction. Piper would have found a way to get upthere, if she knew her little boy was suffering, maybe even dying. So he simply didn't tell her.
Now he was so happy to have good news for her. Chris had overcome the illness and would return home within a week. Piper lay crying in Leo's arms. He would come back, alive and convalesced. She instantly hoped that her son would forgive her for letting him alone for in the end over two month.
He must be furious about his parent's cruelty.
But Chris was not.
A small, pale and thin, and, to Pipers great fright, very silent boy, was orbed with his father into the Halliwell manor at the end of the week. No big hello, no laughing, not even angry screaming. He just silently embraced his mom as if he would never let her go.
Piper's heart broke once more.
In the following days Chris remained that way. He seemingly enjoyed the welcome party the sisters had organized; he played with Wyatt, when his brother asked him to, but most of the time he just sat quiet near by someone of his family loving their closeness.
They all were worried about the little ones change, but decided, that Chris would need time to acclimate again.
…
On a dark and rainy October afternoon Chris sat on the kitchen counter top, watching his mother silently as she was standing in front of the stove, preparing the dinner.
"Mom its autumn now." Chris said thoughtfully.
„Yes peanut it is, you've been away a really long time. I missed you so much…we missed you so much."
"I mean… you said Aunt Phoebe would get the baby when its autumn."
Piper's wooden spoon dropped out of her hand. She didn't dare to turn around and face her son. How could she conduct a conversation with a not even five year old boy about that! Wasn't there enough his little soul had to work up. She wished he had forgotten about that. But Chris never forgot anything - ever!
"Mom", he asked insecure "where is the baby?"
Piper turned with pent up tears to Chris, taking him into her arms
"Peanut…the baby…its gone!" she said swallowing her tears.
"Mommy is it my fault, that… I mean…I… have I infected the baby?" his eyes pleaded desperately for denial.
"No Chris, don't go there. This is definitely not your fault." Piper took a step back holding the shoulders of her youngest while looking firm into his tearful light-green eyes, " But why?" he asked despaired.
"No one is guilty of that. It's just the way things happen.
The ways of the greater good are sometimes incomprehensible".
"Did they let us down?" the small voice asked.
Piper really didn't know how to answer this question. Her little boy had spoken out loud what she not even dared to think. The only thing she could do now was to hold her little angel even tighter, and they both hugged each other for an eternity.
…
…one year later…
Leo stood in the living room, Piper and Paige by his side. A visibly once again pregnant Phoebe settled on the couch.
"I'm afraid, that after Chris has not developed new powers in over a year, it's almost certain, that he will not be able to reach more. I think the virus has destroyed too much of his magical side…" They all remained silent, everyone trying to cope with the situation in their own way.
Little Chris sat sadly smiling in the neighbour room, eavesdropping his parents. He knew better than that, but he never would let his parents know. He would never become too special. No one would part him from his family again, not because of the stupid powers he felt growing stronger inside him day by day…
TBC…